Reports in recent days have linked Barcelona defender Marlon Santos with a move to West Ham United – and Mundo Deportivo report that a deal is set for completion.

The Hammers appointed ex-Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini as their new boss last week, replacing David Moyes in the London Stadium hot-seat, and the Chilean will be looking to strengthen his squad.

It now seems that Pellegrini is on the verge of landing his first signing as West Ham boss, and it will be a much-needed boost to his options in the heart of his defence.

Mundo Deportivo report that West Ham are set to agree a deal with Barcelona for defender Marlon Santos after days of speculation, with a five-year contract prepared for the Brazilian.

It's claimed that the fee involved will be €15million (£13million), but could rise to €18million (£15.7million) in the future, whilst it hasn't been ruled out that Barcelona could have a buy-back clause in the deal.

Marlon, 22, joined Barca on loan from Fluminense in his native Brazil back in 2016, and having mostly featured for Barcelona B whilst making two first-team appearances for the club, he signed permanently last summer.

The defender, standing at 6ft tall, was sent out on a two-year loan deal to French side Nice, but after one year with the club, his loan will be ripped up in order to facilitate his West Ham move.

Marlon's season with Nice wasn't consistently impressive, but West Ham will now hope to help the defender fulfil some untapped potential during his time in East London.

Olly Dawes

Olly is a Sports Management graduate and aspiring journalist, with most of his work surrounding football or NFL. He has formed two of his own sites, as well as contributing to a number of others before starting with Here Is The City.